Our Curriculum › History & Social Studies › 12th Grade
Economics & Personal Finance
A senior-year course in how economies work and how to manage your own money: supply and demand, GDP and inflation, the Fed, budgeting, credit, investing, insurance, college costs and taxes. After the first 40 days, most lessons apply those ideas with numbers to real businesses and life decisions.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
32 real-world projects
Plus a personal-finance capstone
Standards
Standard high school social studies
What's taught, unit by unit
Scarcity, supply and demand, and marketsDays 1–10
Scarcity and opportunity cost, supply and demand, price equilibrium, comparing economic systems, the features of free enterprise, the circular flow model, and perfect competition, monopoly and oligopoly.
- 1 · Welcome to Economics & Personal Finance: Genuinely New Territory
- 2 · Scarcity and Opportunity Cost
- 3 · Introducing Supply and Demand
- 4 · Price Equilibrium
- 6 · Comparing Economic Systems
- 7 · Characteristics of Free Enterprise
- 8 · The Circular Flow Model
- 9 · Market Structures: Perfect Competition, Monopoly, and Oligopoly
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
The whole economy and how it is managedDays 11–20
GDP, unemployment and inflation and how each is measured, the business cycle, money and its functions, the Federal Reserve and monetary policy, fiscal policy and taxation, and business ownership types.
- 11 · Introducing GDP
- 12 · Unemployment and Its Measurement
- 13 · Inflation and Its Measurement
- 14 · The Business Cycle
- 16 · Money and Its Functions
- 17 · The Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy
- 18 · Fiscal Policy and Taxation
- 19 · Business Ownership Types
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Personal finance basicsDays 21–35
Budgeting, credit cards, credit scores and debt payoff strategies; stocks, bonds and compound interest; insurance; renting versus buying; FAFSA and student loans; comparing careers' long-term pay; and how income taxes work.
- 21 · Introducing Personal Finance: Budgeting
- 22 · Consumer Credit and Credit Cards
- 23 · Understanding Credit Scores
- 24 · Debt Management Strategies
- 26 · Introducing Investing: Stocks and Bonds
- 27 · The Power of Compound Interest in Investing
- 28 · Introducing Insurance
- 29 · Housing: Renting Versus Buying
- 31 · Postsecondary Financing: FAFSA and Financial Aid
- 32 · Student Loans: Weighing the Tradeoffs
- 33 · Comparing Career Paths' Long-Term Financial Outcomes
- 34 · Taxes: How They Work
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Trade, wages and a first reviewDays 36–40
Comparative advantage, tariffs and trade policy, how labor markets set wages, then a mixed review set of the formulas used so far.
- 36 · International Trade Basics: Comparative Advantage
- 37 · Tariffs and Trade Policy
- 38 · Labor Markets and Wages
- 39 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
Applied projects and practice, part 1Days 41–85
Explainer and applied projects on sports, streaming oligopoly, healthcare, pollution, small business, the gig economy, cryptocurrency, housing, college prices and retirement, mixed with review sets, timed practice and a halfway cumulative review. No new core topics.
- 41 · Explainer Project: Teaching Supply and Demand
- 42 · Applied Project: Economics in Sports
- 43 · Reviewing Common Errors in Personal Finance Decisions
- 44 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 2
- 46 · Pricing in a Streaming-Service Oligopoly
- 47 · Explainer Project: Teaching Personal Budgeting
- 48 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 3
- 49 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set
- 51 · Applied Project: Economics in Healthcare
- 52 · Applied Project: Economics in Environmental Policy
- 53 · Reviewing Common Errors in Macroeconomic Reasoning
- 54 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 4
- 56 · Explainer Project: Teaching Investing Basics
- 57 · Applied Project: Building a Personal Financial Plan
- 58 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 5
- 59 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 2
- 61 · Reviewing Common Errors: Shift vs. Movement Along the Demand Curve
- 62 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 6
- 63 · Explainer Project: Teaching GDP and the Business Cycle
- 64 · Applied Project: Economics in Small Business Ownership
- 66 · Applied Project: Economics in the Gig Economy
- 67 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 7
- 68 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 3
- 69 · Applied Project: Economics in Cryptocurrency and Digital Payments
- 71 · Applied Project: Economics in Housing Markets
- 72 · Applied Project: Economics in Higher Education Pricing
- 73 · Explainer Project: Teaching Fiscal Versus Monetary Policy
- 74 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 8
- 76 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 4
- 77 · Applied Project: Economics in Retirement Planning
- 78 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 9
- 79 · Explainer Project: Teaching Comparative Advantage and Trade
- 81 · Cumulative Review: Scarcity, Systems, and Markets
- 82 · Cumulative Review: Macroeconomics and Monetary/Fiscal Policy
- 83 · Cumulative Review: Personal Finance
- 84 · Timed Practice Assessment: The Halfway Comprehensive
- 85 · Halfway-Year Growth Reflection
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
Personal financial goal capstoneDays 86–100
Setting a SMART financial goal, researching a plan, building a full budget, calculating a timeline and milestones, writing it up, and presenting it, with mixed review sets, an economic systems explainer and a timed assessment around it.
- 86 · Capstone Prep: Choosing a Personal Financial Goal
- 87 · Capstone: Researching and Planning
- 88 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 10
- 89 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 11
- 91 · Capstone: Building a Full Budget Plan
- 92 · Capstone: Calculating Timeline and Milestones
- 93 · Capstone: Writing Up the Project
- 94 · Capstone: Presentation Prep
- 96 · Capstone: Presentation Delivery
- 97 · Explainer Project: Teaching Economic Systems Comparison
- 98 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 12
- 99 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 5
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Applied projects and practice, part 2Days 101–120
Salary negotiation, break-even for a new business, investing mistakes, nonprofit finances, diversification, the business cycle, family decisions, charitable giving tax math and the Great Depression, alongside review sets and timed practice.
- 101 · Applied Project: Economics in Career Salary Negotiation
- 102 · Applied Project: Economics in Entrepreneurship
- 103 · Reviewing Common Errors in Investment Decisions
- 104 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 13
- 106 · Applied Project: Economics in Nonprofit Organizations
- 107 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 14
- 108 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 6
- 109 · Explainer Project: Teaching Diversification and Risk
- 111 · Explainer Project: Teaching the Business Cycle
- 112 · Applied Project: Economics in Family Financial Decisions
- 113 · Reviewing Common Errors in Comparing Economic Systems
- 114 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 15
- 116 · Applied Project: Economics in Charitable Giving
- 117 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 16
- 118 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 7
- 119 · Applied Project: Economics in a Historical Economic Event
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Cumulative review and life-plan synthesisDays 121–130
A three-part review of the whole year (micro, macro, personal finance and trade), a comprehensive timed test, a personal-finance explainer, a growth reflection and a final life-plan project.
- 121 · Full-Year Economics Cumulative Review, Part 1
- 122 · Full-Year Economics Cumulative Review, Part 2
- 123 · Full-Year Economics Cumulative Review, Part 3
- 124 · Timed Practice Assessment: The Comprehensive Final
- 126 · Explainer Project: Teaching Personal Finance Fundamentals
- 127 · Full-Year Economics Growth Reflection
- 128 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 17
- 129 · Applied Project: A Final Economics Life-Plan Synthesis
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Applied projects and practice, part 3Days 131–170
Real-business and personal-decision math: buying versus leasing a car, fashion supply chains, music streaming pay, restaurant and airline pricing, surge pricing, subscription boxes, solar investment, college and housing costs, retirement, the stock market and telecom.
- 131 · Applied Project: Economics in the Automotive Industry
- 132 · Applied Project: Economics in the Fashion Industry
- 133 · Reviewing Common Errors in Fiscal/Monetary Policy Reasoning
- 134 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 18
- 136 · Applied Project: Economics in the Music and Entertainment Industry
- 137 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 19
- 138 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 8
- 139 · Applied Project: Economics in Personal Insurance Decisions
- 141 · Applied Project: Restaurant Menu Pricing and Food-Cost Percentage
- 142 · Airline Pricing: Oligopoly, Price Discrimination, and Yield Management
- 143 · Explainer Project: Building a Personal Financial Plan
- 144 · Mixed Economics Review Set 20: Market Structures and Pricing
- 146 · Applied Project: Ride-Sharing Surge Pricing
- 147 · Mixed Economics Review Set 21: Gig Economy and Dynamic Pricing
- 148 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 9
- 149 · Applied Project: Subscription Box Economics — CAC and LTV
- 151 · Applied Project: Economics in Renewable Energy Investment
- 152 · Applied Project: Economics in College Financing Decisions
- 153 · Explainer Project: Teaching How Credit Scores Work
- 154 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 22
- 156 · Applied Project: Economics in Homeownership Decisions
- 157 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 23
- 158 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 10
- 159 · Applied Project: Economics in Insurance Decision-Making
- 161 · Applied Project: Economics in Small Business Startup Planning
- 162 · Applied Project: Economics in Retirement Savings Planning
- 163 · Explainer Project: Teaching How the Stock Market Works
- 164 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 24
- 166 · Applied Project: Economics in International Trade Decisions
- 167 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Economics Review Set 25
- 168 · Timed Practice Assessment: A Full-Year Mixed Set 11
- 169 · Applied Project: Economics in Telecommunications
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
Final review, presentation & celebrationDays 171–180
Final reviews of micro, macro and personal finance, preparing and giving a short presentation on one economics topic, a reflection day, an economy-all-around-you scavenger hunt, a look ahead to financial independence and a closing congratulations.
- 171 · Final Review: Microeconomics Fundamentals
- 172 · Final Review: Macroeconomics and Government Policy
- 173 · Final Review: Personal Finance Essentials
- 174 · Preparing a Capstone Presentation: A Year of Economics
- 175 · Delivering Your Capstone Presentation
- 176 · Reflecting on a Year of Economics
- 177 · Economics Scavenger Hunt: The Economy All Around You
- 178 · Previewing What’s Next: Financial Independence
- 179 · Final Reflection: My Economics Journey
- 180 · Congratulations! You completed Economics & Personal Finance!
By the end of the year, your child can
- Use supply and demand to explain how a price changes
- Explain GDP, unemployment, inflation and what the Fed and Congress can do about them
- Build a monthly budget and a plan to pay off debt
- Explain how credit scores, compound interest and diversification work
- Compare the full cost of buying versus renting, or buying versus leasing
- Set a financial goal and calculate the savings plan and timeline to reach it
Other 12th Grade subjects: Precalculus · English 12: Literature · English 12: Composition & Grammar · Earth & Space Science